


In Another Life

by nevertrustaduck



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Arranged Marriage, Childbirth, Death in Childbirth, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Death in Childbirth, Kings & Queens, Lullabies, Suicide, Teen Pregnancy, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 04:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14204697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevertrustaduck/pseuds/nevertrustaduck
Summary: Taking place in a kingdom a long time ago, we follow the story of two lovers and how they find their way into each other's arms. Along the way, we encounter an arranged marriage, the birth of a child into the world, and the taking of a life far before it should have been taken.





	In Another Life

Everybody turned to look toward the heavy wooden doors as they swung open announcing the arrival of King Giles, who sauntered into the room with a purpose and sat perched on his throne. His eyes shone brightly with joy, having just returned from a successful quest to one of the neighboring kingdoms. The whole room stood still and silent, waiting for him to share his experience.

I watched his daughter, Princess Juliana, briskly walk up to him from her place in the crowd, the essence of beauty and grace trailing behind her like the train of a gown. She took her place standing to her fathers left side, elegance radiating from the smallest of her movements.

King Giles stood abruptly and took his daughters hands. He looked her in the eye, kissed her cheek, and turned to address the room. He puffed out his chest like a proud tabby after a hunt well done, “I come bearing the news that Juliana will be married to Prince Benjamin of Primme as the flowers start to bloom!”

I watched in shock as the others around me begin to applaud. I could not hear the excitement, I just watched in shock as Juliana’s face changed from one of contentment to one of shock, sadness, and an underlying tinge of anger.

My world faded away. All I heard was my heart pounding in my chest. All I saw was Juliana trying to hold back tears. All I felt was anger coursing through my veins, and my chest tightening like the air had been knocked out of me.

Anger at King Giles for promising away his daughter's heart for her.

Anger at Prince Benjamin for not being able to find a more suitable wife.

Anger at myself for being able to do nothing to stop Juliana’s pain.

The castle was too busy celebrating the Princess’ betrothment to notice her slip away. That meant they were too busy to notice as I slipped out after her. I followed the sound of her echoing footsteps in the deserted halls. She led me to the place I knew she would go, the only place she could truly be herself. I was almost caught up with her when she slammed the bedchamber door, I nearly ran into the heavy oak in my haste to catch her.

I contemplated leaving her to her emotions, heading back to my servants quarters. What I heard on the other side of the door made me hesitate, before I knew it my hand was curled into a fist knocking on the solid wood.

Faintly from deep in the room on the other side of the door, there was a contained sob of “Go away! I do not wish to see anybody!”

I inhaled deeply and spoke softly knowing she would hear me, even in her sorrowful state “Your Highness, it is me, Kelsey.”

I stood there for a moment thinking she would ignore me. I pondered on heading to my rooms when I heard the latch on the door unhook and the door opened a crack to reveal a sliver of her reddened, tear-soaked face. She turned and headed to her sitting area. As I made my way into her personal space she waved back half-heartedly in my direction “Latch the door.”

I did as was requested of me and slowly made my way over to her slouching form. That’s when I realized how hurt she was. A princess never slouches.

I sat on the edge of the table in front of her lounge. I took her hand in mine. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get any words out she blurted out “I want you to come with me to Primme.”

I gave her hand a loving squeeze “Won’t that be suspicious, your dressing maid traveling with you to your new home with your husband and the gaggle of dressing maids he has waiting around for his future wife?”

She sat up to face me leaning forward a bit to meet me in the middle, pressing her forehead to mine “I’ll tell him that you are my one and only comfort of home. He’ll let you come. From the few times I’ve met him he seems decent enough.”

I kissed her hand that was still in mine, taking the time to press one kiss to each finger “We will not be able to carry on as we have been. You and he will be sharing a bed. I could not do that under my new king's nose.” I kept my eyes trained on her pale, soft, delicate hand in my calloused, dirt-stained one.

When I finally met Juliana’s eyes she had silent tears running down her cheeks, her blue eyes clouded with grief. She brought her free hand up to cup my cheek “Kelsey, I would never ask this of you if I thought I could live without you. If I thought I could live there with him, share his bed, bear his children… If I thought I could do that with a man I will never love, a man I will never feel a feathers weight of attraction towards, all without the woman I love, then you’re mad.” She leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of my mouth “I will make the arrangements for you to come with me as my dressing maid, and I will make arrangements with him to have separate bedchambers. Nothing will change between the two of us, I will do everything in my power to prevent that. I swear to you, Kelsey Brigham.”

I sat up, making sure I still had a reassuring grip on her hand “I have never loved anybody the amount that I love you. I would marry you if I could. If I was royalty, if I was a man, things would be different. We could marry for love then, and we would be so happy.”

She gave a sad smile “In another life, I will marry you,” she said as a fresh batch of tear sprang to her usually vibrant blue eyes “In another life where I am not betrothed to Benjamin, things will work out. Nothing will keep us apart, not royal duties, or arranged marriages, or the fact that we are both women. In another life, nothing will keep us apart.”

“In another life, we will be infinite...” I whispered leaning into to press a kiss to her lips, a kiss so full of love and promises that it made my head swim and my heart try to pound out of my chest, all in the best possible way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week after the first flower bloomed within the castle walls Juliana was married off to Prince Benjamin. Before I knew it I was riding off with them to his castle in Primme, sitting up next to the driver. The thought of the woman I loved sitting alone in the enclosed carriage with only her new husband, it made me nauseous.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three months after the witnesses viewed the consummation of the love between Juliana and Benjamin, she confided in me that she had just discovered that she was carrying his child. I held her as she wept. I wiped her tears away and soothed her fears.

I soothed her fear of not surviving the birth of her child. Not being able to watch that child grow up and start a family of their own.

I soothed her fear of being a terrible mother. She was afraid of not knowing what to do because her mother was never there for her when she was a child. I consoled her with the fact that she was the most loving person I had ever had the joy of meeting in my life. I calmed her by telling her that the fears meant she cared for this unborn child and that she was already an amazing mother.

She relaxed as I rubbed her back, chasing the fears away with a lullaby that my mother used to sing to us as children. When she was sleeping comfortably I kissed her forehead and sat watching her sleep. All the while envious that she was not my wife, that she was not carrying my child, even if I knew it was impossible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I sat helplessly on the bed next to my lovely, lovely Juliana as she cried out in a pain that I could never imagine. She was in pain, and there was nothing I could do. I drew my eyes away from her blood-drenched legs, and looked her in her brilliant blue eyes, whispering words of fear-soothing encouragement.

At this moment I hated Benjamin like I never hated anybody in my life.

I hated him more than the man that killed my mother. I hated him more than I hated Giles for sending her here in the first place.

And a part of me hated the child that was causing her this pain.

I looked down at the love of my life as more blood accompanied the child as it exited her womb. The child began to cry as the midwife handed it off to one of the faceless women in the room. The midwife turned toward another faceless woman and said the words that turned my blood to ice, “There is too much blood. She is not going to see the morning sun.”

I looked down at Juliana again and she was sweat-drenched and pale. Her beautiful blonde hair sticking to her face and neck. Through the fogginess of the blood loss, I saw true fear in her eyes. I pulled her into my arms. I pressed my cheek to hers, to comfort her. Very lightly I heard he weakly whisper “In another life…”

I swallowed my tears, and gathered enough strength to say “In another life.” and start humming the lullaby my mother sang to us when we were young, the lullaby that I now consider to be our song. By the end of the song, the room was still. Even the infant was no longer crying.  
Juliana was no longer breathing. Her eyes were closed, her body was still, and her heart no longer pulsed blood through her body.

The love of my life was gone...

I hugged Juliana’s cooling body one last time before releasing her for the very last time. My heart shattered into a million, unrepairable pieces. I stumbled out of the birthing bed and out into the corridor. I didn’t so much as glance at the child that took the love of my life away from me.  
I knew it wasn’t the child's fault, but I couldn't bear to look at it. 

I stumbled into the hallway glad that HE wasn't there. Who knows what I would have done had I seen him there. Knowing that he was the reason, my love, Juliana, was no longer with me.

I made it all the way to my chambers before I started crying and throwing things. I was so angry. Angrier even than when she married the bastard that caused her death.

My pain fueled my anger. So many questions were running through my head.

Why did Juliana have to marry him?

Why couldn’t Juliana marry me?

Why did God take my Juliana from me?

She was so young. Barely nineteen. A couple weeks younger than me. I always said I would do everything in my power to protect her, but when the time came. There was nothing I   
could do.

Nothing…

Anger coursed through my veins again and I lashed out at the nearest wall. The mirror there shattered, broken glass raining down around me. A million pieces hitting the stone floor, sounding like chimes blowing in the wind. Each piece representing a piece of my heart. I watched as the blood dripped off my hand, down my forearm, and reaching my elbow before falling the floor.

As I watched the blood start to form a puddle at my feet I realized that I couldn’t live without Juliana. I looked down at the shards of glass surrounding me, and I knew what I had to do.

I leaned over to pick up a shard. I placed it on my wrist and applied pressure, feeling the sharp edge bite into my flesh, sharper than the blade of a knife. I dragged the shard from left side to the right side of my left wrist.

As I slowly started to get fuzzy I started to hum the lullaby I had just sung for Juliana to comfort her, only this time it was myself that needed comfort. My eyes drifted closed and I sunk to the floor. Juliana’s face behind my eyelids.

I could almost see her reaching out to me… 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The woman at the register dug through her purse for some spare change. The barista impatiently waiting for the frazzled brunette. The woman behind her in line handed the barista a five dollar bill “Coffee’s on me.” she told the brunette.

The brunette gave the blonde woman a grateful smile “That is very generous of you. I’ll get it back to you, I promise.”

The blonde smiled cheekily at the brunette before placing her order “You can repay me by having dinner with me tonight.” she said as she turned back with her order in hand. The women found a deserted table in the busy shop, a miracle by any means.

The brunette woman smiled and handed the blonde her phone “Give me your number and I’ll text you mine.” she said.

The blonde input her name and number before handing the brunette her phone. The brunette woman smiled, such a pure smile, so rare these days. “Juliana is such a beautiful name. It’s a classic, you can never go wrong.”

The blonde smiled wide as her phone chirped with a text from the woman seated across from her “Kelsey is a wonderful name too. It’s always been my favorite name.”

Kelsey smiled at Juliana “I have to go, my boss is waiting for me, but call me with the details.”  
Juliana stood with her and together they walked to the exit of the coffee house. Juliana leaned over to kiss Kelsey on the cheek. “See you tonight darling!” the blonde called back as she started making her way to her next destination.

As the women walked away they both felt a voice in the back of their heads whisper, so faintly they almost didn't notice “In another life…”

**Author's Note:**

> Should I continue this? It could be a one and done, but I could add a few more chapters. Please let me know what you think I should do. I hope you enjoyed my 1am idea.


End file.
